The Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association, in cooperation with the City of Elgin, invites the public to attend the Memorial Day events on Monday, May 30. For information, including possible weather related changes, visit elginmemorialday.org.
Mount Hope Cemetery | 8:30 a.m. | 1001 Villa Street, Elgin, IL
This service will feature a Catholic Mass along with a combined color guard, rifle salute and the playing of Taps.
Lakewood Memorial Park | 9:00 a.m. | 30W730 US 20, Elgin, IL
This service will be held at the cemetery’s Garden of Honor and include a combined color guard to honor those buried at Lakewood Memorial Park. The observance will conclude with a rifle salute and the playing of Taps.
Elgin Veterans Memorial Park | 9:45 a.m. | 274 N. Grove Avenue, Elgin, IL
Organized by the Elgin Navy Club and the Elgin Marine Corps League, this program is specifically designed to pay tribute to veterans interred at sea. Following a presentation by Elgin Navy Club members, the service will conclude with the strewing of flowers into the Fox River, rifle salute and the playing of Taps.
Elgin’s Veterans Memorial Park is located adjacent to the Gail Borden Public Library.
Bluff City Cemetery | 11:00 a.m. | 945 Bluff City Boulevard, Elgin, IL
This year’s program will pay tribute to the 75th Anniversary of the United States Air Force. The keynote speaker will be Mark Smith, Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association President and Senior Vice Commander of Elgin American Legion Post #57.
The program will also feature the Elgin Master Chorale, Larkin High School Band and Elgin’s Poet Laureate Gareth Mann. Local students will continue the long held tradition of reading Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and General John Logan’s Orders which established Memorial Day.
The most solemn moment of the morning will be the laying of organizational wreaths at the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial – an observance akin to the laying of wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Washington D.C. Activities will include a roll call of deceased veterans, a rifle salute and the playing of Taps.
There will be a free shuttle bus service this year that will provide transportation to and from the ceremony area from the main and east gates.
For those who choose not to attend in person, this service will be broadcast live on WRMN 1410 AM radio and WRMN Facebook Live. A video of the program will be available later in the day and posted on the City of Elgin Facebook page and YouTube channel.
